Reader Mail : What Does V Stand For In VMFA?

Normally I only write about civilian aircraft and airline topics, but this week’s question delves into US Naval & Marine Corps aviation. Since one of my favourite TV shows as a kid was the Black Sheep Squadron, based on VMA-214 during World War II, I figured venture into military aircraft this week.

This week’s reader mail comes from Cal, who asks this “I just finished watching the PBS series Carrier and see that each plane is marked with VFA or VMFA. I assume these are squadron designations and that “M” stands for Marines, however I can’t figure out what the V stands for in VMFA and VFA”

Cal … first off PBS’s 10 part series Carrier is a fantastic and in-depth documentary series. I have all 10 episodes in my iTunes library and suggest that pretty much everyone else should also download the entire series as well. Carrier is an outstanding in-depth look at life on an aircraft carrier, showing moments and insights most people have never seen before.

Now onto your question, I’ll start with the basics … Yes, VMFA, VMA, VFA, VAW, VAQ, etc are all squadron designations, and yes the “M” does indeed stand for “Marines.” The following breaks down some of the other US Navy & Marine Corps fixed wing squadron letter codes:

So … now onto the primary question at hand … where does the term “V” come from in U.S. Navy and Marine Corps fix wing aircraft squadrons.

Originally, back when the U.S. Navy began creating aircraft squadron designations, the letter “V” denoted an aircraft that was “heavier than air” while the letter “Z” was used for dirigibles that were “lighter than air.”

As the Navy and Marine aviation divisions grew and lighter than air aircraft were removed from service, the letter “V” was changes to denote a “Fixed Wing” aircraft.

With the implementation of helicopters, the Navy and Marines added the letter designation “H” for helicopters, to denote a “rotary wing” aircraft.

Through the evolution of Navy & Marine aviation, quite a few designations have come, gone or been adapted, such as “B” for Wright hydroaeroplanes, “E” for Curtiss amphibious flying boats and “K” for Kite. These designations were changed in 1914 (since Naval aviation began in 1911, Marine aviation in 1912) to “A” for land based airplane, water based airplane were “B,” with “H” for heavier than air, so a land based squadron would be “AH” and a flying boat squadron would be designated as “AB.”

The majority of the current squadron designations as we know them to day were established during the 1950s.

Well Cal … I know I went off on a tangent with this question, but despite primarily being focused on commercial airline aviation … I have always had an interest in US Navy and Marine Corps aviation.

Comments

HI STEVE,
I WAS ATTACHED TO VMA-214 FOR THREE YEARS FROM 1954 TO 1957.
I KNEW THE VMA DESIGNATION AS -” HEAVIER THAN AIR,MARINE ATTACK.
I WAS ALSO IN VMF224 FOR A YEAR AGAIN-“HEAVIER THAN AIR,MARINE,FIGHTER”.
FYI-BEST TO YOU,
FRANK BENJAMIN

About Me

Fish has been covering aviation and transportation security issues since September 15, 2001, after walking away from Ground Zero in Lower Manhattan following four days of documenting the worst aviation security disaster in history.

Having spent more than a decade-and-a-half as a full-time photojournalist, Fish now divides his time between building social media and social commerce strategies and solutions for global travel brands, along with researching aviation and transportation security.

Growing up at the end up New York's JFK International Airport's Runway 4R/22L probably explains Fish’s enjoyment of watching planes fly overhead. When not working or shooting photos, Fish can be found playing with (and cleaning up after) his three kids, chasing his dogs, standing in the kitchen cooking, monitoring radios public safety and federal radios and of course cheering for the Red Sox.

You can find Fish on Twitter at @flyingwithfish …and … join Fish every Thursday at 3:30pm EST as he hosts the weekly #TNI #Travel Chat on Twitter.